The weekend before Halloween Bill Glass Champions For Life surprised San Quentin prisoners with an exhibition of 20 roaring Harley-Davidson motorcycles. The Harleys escorted an emissary of volunteers who delivered a message of hope and peace for an excited crowd of prisoners and staff.
There was no advance notice that Champions For Life was coming to San Quentin for a really big show and so the sudden carnival-like atmosphere was enthusiastically welcomed.
Master of ceremony Robert Jimenez, board member of Bill Glass Champions, introduced former defensive lineman Devin Wyman of the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, along with Mike McCoy, former All-Pro defensive tackle and number one draft choice of the Green Bay Packers.
Wyman, who was raised in East Palo Alto, reached back to his community by giving a down-to-earth, honest rendition of the obstacles he had to overcome in reaching his life- long goals. Wyman testified, as he mingled with San Quentin prisoners, that faith in God guided him through the numerous obstacles to his goal, the National Football League.
McCoy stressed the importance of the “Three D’s” in life: “Decisions Determine our Destiny.” McCoy said decisions rooted in faith lead to better choices.
Tino Wallenda of the Flying Wallendas performed one of his famous high-wire acts for the prisoners. While performing, Tino told the dramatic story about his family’s famous “seven-person pyramid” that tragically ended in the death of some of his loved ones. But Tino was determined to succeed for the sake of his family’s honor and successfully performed the act in 1977.
The crowd of nearly 400 prisoners watched as Tino began his act by carrying a chair to the middle of a tightrope suspended about 35 feet off the ground. After balancing the chair on the tightrope, Tino sat on the chair, continuing his lecture on having trust, faith and focus in your life. Sweat poured from Tino’s face as he acknowledged that this particular act was extremely dangerous, and could easily end with his death.
This reality did not seem to faze Tino as he confidently declared, “If I were to die doing this act, I know where I would end up.” Tino stunned the audience when, one foot at a time, he stood on the arms of the chair, and continued his lecture! Before the audience realized it, Tino was standing on the arms of the chair that was still balanced on the tightrope 35 feet off the ground.
Champions for Life entertainer Tonya Crevier’s basketball handling skills were most impressive with her ability to cross-over dribble two basketballs simultaneously, juggle four basketballs through bounce passes from a audience member and spin a basketball on her finger while feeding a man with that same hand, just a few of her amazing tricks.
Tonya capped her performance with an unbelievable spinning of 10 basketballs at once, leaving audience mouths agape.
Georgia native and model airplane builder Jim Harris captivated the audience with his circa World War II P-51 Mustang’s acrobatic maneuvers high over San Quentin’s skies. The plane reached amazing heights and even chased birds.
The Mission Statement of Champions For Life: Assist the Church by equipping and igniting Christians to share their faith in Jesus Christ with the “least of these.” CFL is comprised of three ministries: Prison Ministry, Youth Ministry and At-Risk Youth Ministry.
The event was organized by Community Partners Manager Laura Bowman, who said she believes faith-based, non-governmental organizations such as Champions For Life are a vital part of rehabilitation and promote positive influences for prisoners and ex-prisoners. Associate Warden J. Curzon said he looks forward to Champions For Life’s return next year.